Tragedy.

I keep writing, and then deleting. I want to capture my feelings on the tragedy of what happened in Virginia the other day, but I just can't seem to articulate what it is I want to say. I write something, then I'm backspacing it all. I just don't know what to say. It's horrific, isn't it?

It's almost as though Monday never happened for me. I didn't even hear about what happened until Tuesday morning. One of my co-workers was looking online at CNN, and there was mention of some shootings and I was completely oblivious. Monday happened and I didn't know a thing about it. I'm a day late in my knowledge of all of this.

Which made me really think. And it makes me sad. And holy hell, it really opens up your eyes to the world around you. The world doesn't stop because you aren't paying attention. Things happen, tragedy and awful, really serious, sad, bad things happen. All around us, every day. Horrific things happen. And while the horrible events of Monday were happening, I was probably internally complaining about a headache on the plane, or my contacts bothering me. Missing my dad already. Wishing the airplane food didn't suck so much. Just wanting my own bed and for the five hour flight to be over. How insignificant and trivial all that is, in the wake of much more tragic, significant things like what has occurred.

It's just awful what has happened. And I don't have the words within my grasp to really capture it all. It's horrible and I can only imagine the pain that these students, the faculty, these families, and their friends are all facing right now. It sure puts minor difficulties in our own lives into perspective when something so tragic happens. Really makes you think about how fragile life is. How in a matter of minutes, circumstances in one's life can totally change.
And things are never, ever the same.

With the coverage every morning since, on the Today show, interviews with students, footage of vigils, photographs of the aftermath, I am keeping these people, those that were directly affected and those that were not... everyone, this country, in my thoughts and prayers during this tragic time.